


Fatherhood Suits You

by GettheSalt



Series: About Holidays [7]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Domestic, Found Family, Gen, M/M, Memorial Day, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-11 10:07:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7043833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GettheSalt/pseuds/GettheSalt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part of becoming parents is having family over to meet the new baby. When you’re ex-SHIELD agents, and your family is made up of current agents, that can get a little hectic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fatherhood Suits You

When the news had come that they were going to be adopting a baby, Grant had made arrangements to take three weeks off work once the birth happened. After talking about it, the two of them had decided that it would just be so much easier for both of them if Leo were the one to take parental leave. Leo was more easily capable of working from home, and the thing was, the projects and plans that he had worked up and created for NASA had, effectively, given the project teams much time to work before they would really need to fall at his feet again. The thing was, there were always other engineers, and while Grant would quickly say that none of them held a candle to Leo, they would be able to handle things on their own.

So, Grant had taken three weeks off, and those three weeks had been wonderful, and eye-opening.

They'd been ready, of course, for the challenges of parenthood. There were the diaper changes, the odd hours, the crying fits where it was hard to fathom what Brody could possibly want. The concern about what may or may not be normal for a baby and the time consulting Google to ascertain that. There were long skype calls with their extended family – the team – who had all kinds of questions. There were follow-up appointments with the doctor, and learning how to bathe the baby, and everything between. It was a mission they'd never seen themselves taking on, as Skye had said during the second week.

As cheesy as it was, it was true.

A week ago, however, Grant had gone back to work, and adjusting to that, all over again, was difficult in a way he hadn't anticipated. Grant had spent the last three weeks at home with his husband and son, making their schedule as they went – to a point, the baby needed plenty of schedule – and going back to work meant regaining a set schedule. It also meant a lot less time with Leo and Brody. Comparatively, anyway.

They made time, of course. They had agreed to trade off every night, which of the two of them got up when Brody cried. Grant woke up with the baby in the morning and took care of him while Leo caught a little more sleep. Grant took care of making Brody's morning bottle and feeding him, before he made his own breakfast, and Leo's. By the time the food finished, Leo was downstairs, and wide awake and ready for the day. Grant would head off to work, and when he came home, Leo would have dinner ready, and if he didn't, Grant took over, so that Leo could relax. Brody was usually napping around when Grant came in the door, but once he woke up, Grant took over taking care of him, giving Leo a chance to unwind from a very full day of baby-ing.

It was a good system, and it worked for them, for the most part. Grant was sure it wouldn't always stay the same, but for now it was breaking the workload for them just about evenly. It also ensured that Grant and Brody got time together. Everyone won.

After being back at work for a week, Grant wanted nothing more than to spend the weekend with his son, husband and dog. Not that he was complaining about how this weekend was coming together.

“They're on the ground.” Leo said, checking his phone was he walked into the den. Brody was snuggled against his chest in the baby sling they'd gotten to make carrying him around the house easier. They both generally preferred to carry him in their arms, but this morning, while Leo and Grant were both working on getting the house ready for their guests, it was easier to prop him up in it. Grant couldn't help the strong rush of affection he felt, either, seeing Leo wearing it with Brody nestled safe inside.

He was already going soft in his dadhood.

“That's good.” Grant replied, patting the blow up mattress he'd just finished setting up. Its twin was upstairs in the nursery that they had yet to use for anything other than feeding, and quiet time, trying to settle Brody down when he woke up crying in the night. That one would play host to Melinda for the weekend, giving her a place to sleep. This one, in the den, would be Phil's. Jemma and Skye were taking the guest room, and the only other proper bed they had in the place – Grant's old queen size bed from his apartment in New York. And Trip would be taking over the couch in the living room. They had offered to get him another bed; it wasn't like it had been hard to set these two up. Trip had refused, though. Said they were being good enough to put them all up in their house, he'd be happy to take the couch. Grant wasn't saying it, but he was happy he didn't need to set up another blow-up mattress. “They're _sure_ they don't want us to come get them?”

Leo laughed. “In... the Charger?”

Grant frowned, and looked up at Leo from the floor. “Okay, so it might be a little cramped.”

“A little?” Leo shook his head. “Grant, you and I both know even if just you went, you could only fit four people in that car. Which is why--”

“--No. No.” Grant held up a finger. “Don't you say it.”

“We will have to consider a _family vehicle_ at some point or another.”

There it was. The only argument they had really been having over the past few weeks. Grant knew that Leo had a point. The Charger, as much as Grant loved it, was not a family vehicle. It was a sportscar, and that was that. Leo's car wasn't much better. The blue BMW coupe served its purpose, and was infinitely better as a family class vehicle. Still, the thing was...

“We have a son now. Plus the two of us. The dog.” Leo pointed, and Scout lifted his head from where he'd been laying, watching Grant work. “And we can't always expect everyone to come out here to visit us. We can't _fly_ every time.”

He had a point. He really did.

“I don't want to drive a _minivan_.”

Leo laughed, and then quieted quickly, looked down at Brody and grinning. “Hey, buddy. You like laughter, huh?” Leo's grin grew. “Yes. Yes, you do.”

Grant grinned in spite of himself. “He's on my side. He wants us to discuss the minivan at another time.”

Giving Grant a flat look, Leo waved his hand, clearly dismissing the discussion as much as Grant was by not answering. “We _will_ discuss it at some point, mister. And you won't get out of it quite this easily.” He waited while Grant got to his feet before he headed back toward the kitchen. “And you _don't_ have to drive a minivan. There are other family vehicles that we can look at.”

“Do I have to get rid of the Charger?”

The flat look came back quickly as Leo looked back. “Do you want me to drop it, or do you want to have this discussion now?”

Grant mimed zipping his lips shut, picking up his own phone from the kitchen counter. “Skye says they've gotten a couple taxis. So I guess that answers that question.”

“Sure does.” Leo agreed, moving over to the couch before sitting down, and working Brody out of his sling. “Now, come on, dad. Come spend some time with your little stinker before his aunts and uncle and... Do we call them grandparents?”

Grant shrugged, dropping down on the other side of the couch and reaching for Brody. “They seemed to think so. Grandpa Phil has a... good ring to it, you know?”

“I know.” Leo made a face at Brody while he answered. “It's weird.”

“Mhmm.” Grant hummed in agreement, and looked down at Brody, a smile slowly spreading across his face. Years ago, he wouldn't have known how to handle having a baby handed to him. Now, he couldn't help but feel a cocktail of good, sweet emotions when he held his son, and looked at him. He'd been able to get used to everything a lot faster than he'd thought, and he _loved_ holding Brody. In the night, when he woke up with him, he'd take him to the nursery and hum while he paced the room with him, caught up in the feeling of his small fingers moving against Grant's chest, and the rise and fall of his little body as his breathing evened out and he fell asleep.

Scout brushed against Grant's legs as he moved into the living room with them. He looked up at Brody, his nose sniffing away, before he laid down, right up against the couch. “Can't let him go too far, huh, boy?” Grant asked, while Leo reached down and rubbed between his ears. They hadn't been absolutely sure what the dog's reaction would be as the days had gone by. At first he had kept his distance, when they had the baby. He hadn't seemed sure what to make of the newcomer, but Leo and Grant had made sure to encourage him to be involved with the baby. Now, a month later, Scout hadn't only warmed to Brody, but he seemed like he never wanted to be too far from the baby. He had taken up the post of sleeping outside their bedroom every night, which wasn't that different, but he'd also started laying down on the floor nearby Brody's bassinet when he napped.

It was reassuring, to say the least.

Scout didn't go far, then, either, while Grant and Leo sat with the baby, playing with him. Brody was only a month old, it was true, but he already showed so much personality. He laughed at Leo's stupid voices – of which there were many – and he got away with constantly groping Grant's face, maybe more than Leo did. He was inquisitive, and though he could sometimes be _very_ fussy, for the most part, they knew they were lucky.

Playing with Brody, and Scout, they lost track of time, both of them almost forgetting that they had guests coming. When a knock came at the door, they met eyes over Brody's babbling, and said, as one, “It's open!”

Not that they needed to. The knock had barely finished before they heard the front door opening, and a slew of voices filled their front hallway. Scout raced out of the living room to greet them, and Jemma's voice rose above the others. “Hi, boy! Oh, hello, sweetheart. Look at you, you look like a grown up dog now!”

Hefting Brody in his arms, Grant led the way into the hallway. Jemma, Skye and Trip were all standing there, bags at their feet, while they took off their shoes. Or, in Jemma's case, knelt on the floor and rubbed Scout behind the ears. “He's been a grown up dog for a long time, Jem.”

The three of them had seemed so caught up in getting their shoes off, and greeting the dog, that they hadn't noticed Leo, Grant and the baby joining them. They did now, though, all three of them lighting up, not looking at Leo, or Grant, but at the baby in Grant's arms.

It barely took six seconds for Jemma to tear up.

“He's so _beautiful_.” She whispered, moving over quickly. She gave Leo a tight hug, and then planted herself in front of Grant, looking Brody over. “Hi. Hello, Brody. Hello, darling. I'm Auntie Jemma.”

In response, Brody moved one of his own fingers into his mouth, gumming away at it and staring at Jemma. Skye joined a second later, and leaned over Jemma's shoulder, reaching a hand over towards the baby, and Brody's attention shifted to her.

“He's gorgeous, guys.” She agreed. “I knew skype wasn't doing him justice.” She pulled away, moving around Jemma to pull Leo into a tight hug,and then Trip joined them, taking over for her.

“Congrats, you guys. In person.” He said, clapping Grant on the back, and then looking at Brody. “Hey, little man. How's it going?”

Brody hiccuped.

“All right, all right.” Trip nodded, laughing. Jemma held her hands out, and Grant smiled, handing Brody over, careful and gentle.

“About time you got to hold your godson, don't you think?” He asked, then leaned down for Jemma to kiss his cheek, like she was gesturing, before she looked down at Brody.

“Far past time.” She said, sounding almost in awe, before she moved past Leo and Grant, heading for the living room, and the couch.

Skye jumped in immediately, throwing her arms around Grant's neck, and pulling him down into a hug. It had been months since they had last seen each other, and in that time, Grant had become a father. Considering that she had once been the one who pushed Grant towards Leo, since she had once joked about the concept of Grant as a married man, let alone a father, with him, during am impromptu zumba lesson, it was a damn special time for them both. Grant didn't skimp on the hug, squeezing her tight.

“I'm proud of you.” She said against his shoulder before they let go and backed up. “Look at you. Mr Robot not only made the move on the guy, but moved in with him, _married_ him, and you've got a gorgeous, gorgeous baby with that guy. I'm _so_ proud.”

Grant rolled his eyes, but he couldn't deny the spike of pride that he felt afterwords. “How about you get in there and spend some time with your godson, huh?”

“ _Gladly_.” Skye said, and side-stepped Grant, going to join Jemma on the couch.

“Not that I don't want to spend time with the little guy,” Trip said. “But I think you guys might need help getting everyone's stuff upstairs, yeah?”

Grant looked over at the bags that Trip and the girls had left in the entrance way. It was easy to tell which bags belonged to Jemma and Skye, and which one belonged to Trip. The team was only going to be there for three days, and while Trip had packed for that, the girls had a bag each, plus smaller bags to go along with those.

“Probably a good idea.” Leo said, heading over to heft up one of the bags, and picking up the small one that matched it. Grant and Trip followed his lead, grabbing the rest of the bags, and headed upstairs.

“Jemma and Skye are in the guest room.” Leo reminded them. “Over here.”

While he opened the door and led the way into the room, Grant nudged Trip.

“Where're Phil and Melinda?”

“Got their own taxi.” Trip explained, waiting in the doorway while they dropped off the girls' bags. Trip set his own by the upstairs bathroom, to keep it out of the way of the living room. He hadn't even needed to be asked, he just knew where to make himself at home. “We were antsy to get here, meet the baby. Their bags were taking a little longer, but they should be here any minute.”

Grant nodded. “You know, we could have come and picked you guys up.”

Trip laughed, heading back down the hallway, towards the nursery. “Nah, man. We had it.”

“Besides.” Leo jumped in. “Trip, do you think that we could have picked up _everyone_ in _either_ of our cars?”

Trip laughed again, and Grant shot Leo an annoyed look. He knew what was coming next.

“Nah, for that you guys would have needed a minivan.” Trip grinned, before walking into the nursery. “Probably not something you're into, Grant, but I've got bad news, man. You're a dad now. You're gonna have to stoop to a minivan eventually.”

Grant sighed. “I'm never going to drive a minivan.”

“Mhmm.” Leo said, leaning against him, before they looked over at Trip. The other man was looking around the nursery, really taking it in. It was probably weird to him. He was still so entrenched in the SHIELD life, the idea of a baby's nursery in the home was more than a little foreign. It was a testament to Trip's ever amazing ability to adapt that he didn't show it, and, instead, turned around and marched back out of the nursery, pulling them both into a big bear hug.

“I can't _believe_ you two are _dads_.” He said, holding them both tight, both of them slinging an arm around him in return. “You've... Come pretty damn far. How're you doing? A baby's not exactly something SHIELD trained us for.”

Leo laughed. “No, no, it's not, but...” He looked up at Grant, and they shared a small smile. “We're managing. We have a pretty good routine now. Made it work as we go along.”

Grant nodded. “You know how it is. We make modifications to the plan as need be.” He gave Trip a shrug, still smiling wide. “Seems to be working so far.”

“Sure seems like it.” Trip agreed. “I'm happy for you guys. You got a really good life here. You both needed it.”

“It's not exactly a bad gig.” Grant said.

He didn't need to look at Leo to know he was agreeing, that he was still smiling. Everything since they'd made the choice to quit SHIELD had worked out well for them. There had been roadblocks, and bumps along the way. They'd made a damn good team, though, and kept on chugging along.

And, now, they had a family to show for it.

There was another knock at the door, and, once again, Phil and Melinda let themselves in much like the others had. Grant glanced at Leo, already seeing the wheels turning in his head. They had left the door unlocked, this afternoon, because of the fact that they had visitors coming. Leo had been playing with the idea of a more intelligent smartlock for them, however. Grant was sure that it would come to fruition after this weekend.

“Hey, guys!” He called, heading down the stairs to greet with them a hug. Leo was on his heels, and did the same. Trip stepped up, laughing, in their wake.

“I know we just saw each other an hour ago, but everyone else is getting hugs.”

Phil and Melinda laughed, he a lot louder than her, before they both glanced towards the living room. Jemma and Skye could be heard, in there, talking away, to the baby, and each other. Grant had yet to hear Brody make a single sound of displeasure. He seemed to be getting along very, very well with his godmothers.

It was a good thing. For the most part, none of them had really handled babies for an extended period. Skye was the closest, and even she had only really dealt with the younger orphans at St. Agnes, none of whom were infants. Jemma had held her cousins when they were infants, but, again, that had been when she herself was much younger.

SHIELD didn't exactly foster an environment where babies were a common thing.

Not even for Phil and Melinda, was that untrue. Even with the two of them being older, even with Melinda having had a marriage before, while she was still with SHIELD, she hadn't experienced that. It was a thought that hung around in the back of Grant's mind while they all joined Jemma and Skye in the living room.

“Let's see the little guy.” Phil said, crouching down in front of the couch, and smiling up at Brody. The baby, who had previously been enraptured by Skye playing peekaboo with him while Jemma held him, looked Phil's way, very obviously investigating this newcomer. He didn't linger long there, before his eyes were drifting over to Melinda, sizing her up, too, and then, beside her, Trip.

Grant couldn't deny the tight knot of affection in his chest, seeing them all together. These people had become his family, in ways that he'd never imagined he'd have. Phil was more of a father to him than any other mentor in his life, Melinda was someone who had understood his black spots and helped him with them. Jemma, Skye and Trip were his closest friends, like the sisters and brother he'd never known he needed.

Out there, somewhere in the world, his actual brothers and sister were still going about their lives. Christian, if Grant had his way, would never know about him, about Leo, about their son. Charlotte and Thomas, though...

Glancing at Leo, Grant filed his thoughts away. Leo's mother hadn't even been able to make it overseas yet – but she was going to be, in the next few weeks – it didn't seem fair to bring up his estranged brother and sister meeting their son. Someday, perhaps, but the Ward siblings were happier apart. As much as they, the younger three, loved each other, that was just how their life was.

Grant didn't know what the future held, not exactly. It wasn't something he pretended to know. Should he and Leo decide to adopt, again, however, he would do everything in his power to make sure his children never knew that ache. Of having siblings who you couldn't regularly talk to, who couldn't be in your life for very long at a time before you all needed the distance.

Grant knew Leo would help him with that. They weren't going to bring their son, or any other children, up in a house where siblings would one day not even be able to be together without dwelling on bad memories.

“Can I?” Melinda asked Jemma, snapping Grant out of his thoughts. Leo was looking up at him, searching his face, clearly concerned about what was going on behind his eyes. He'd gotten to know Grant far better than anyone else. He'd saved Grant in more ways than he knew, and he'd given him a life he'd never thought he'd deserve, let along be cut out for. Smiling, Grant shook his head, and opened his arm, letting Leo move under it, against his side.

“Don't give me that look.” He said quietly, watching while Melinda lifted Brody in her arms, smiling at him while she did. “I'm fine. I was just thinking.”

Leo made a tetching sound. “I know how dangerous that can be, you know.”

“Not dangerous.” Grant reassured him. “It was all good stuff.”

The look Leo gave him made it clear that he wanted an explanation, at some point. Now wasn't the time, though, and they both knew that. Besides, it would be hard to have a private conversation, in their living room, with their family – because that was exactly what they were – around them.

Later, Grant would talk to Leo about his thoughts, not that they weren't anything that the two of them hadn't discussed before.

For now, he couldn't help laughing when Brody laughed, looking at Phil's face, his eyes crossed and tongue sticking out. Melinda had a wide grin on her face while she rocked slightly back and forth, watching the baby in her arms.

She'd been married before, and while she didn't talk much about her past life, Grant wondered what this brought up for her. She had married herself to SHIELD after Bahrain, her marriage dissolving in the wake of what she'd seen there. Had she wanted children of her own? Had the family that they'd made up helped with that ache in any way, even if it was small? Grant couldn't help but wonder about territory they'd never explored during long nights in the cockpit of the Bus. Out of respect, he'd never ask.

But it was good to see her smiling, making faces at the baby.

“You know, it was _my_ idea to put your daddies' handprints in your nursery.” She was telling Brody. He was looking up at her, wide-eyed, little fingers patting at his tummy. He had been so good with being passed around, Grant was fairly relieved.

“He's not fussy.” Leo said quietly, like he was reading Grant's mind. His fingers, arm around Grant's waist, hooked into the belt loop on Grant's opposite hip, pulling him in close. Expecting what was coming, Grant turned, meeting Leo as he pushed up on his tiptoes for a quick kiss. “He likes them.”

“Of course he likes us.” Skye said, proving that they weren't as outside the circle of baby excitement as they'd thought. “Did you _doubt_ that?”

“No, _no_ , nope.” Leo answered quickly, pulling away from Grant to put both hands up in defense. “Not a single doubt.”

“Babies can be strange around new people.” Melinda filled in, still not looking away from the baby. “Especially when those new people are strange.” She fixed Phil with a look at that point, getting a laugh from everyone.

“Hey, I dunno what you guys had planned for dinner?” Trip said, after they'd all quieted down again. “But you two have been working hard for a month, and now you've got a whole damn _house_ full of people, so, I'm gonna order us all pizza for dinner. That cool?”

Grant laughed. “Yeah, that's cool.”

“Very.” Leo agreed.

Jemma got up from the couch and headed into the kitchen, picking up Leo's tablet from where it was sitting on the island counter. It didn't matter if they lived on opposite sides of the country, now. She was able to make herself at home anywhere Leo called home. “Same password as always?”

Leo shook his head. “Both of theirs, now.”

Jemma smiled. “0701-0430?”

Leo nodded, confirming Grant and Brody's birthdates, and she tapped it in.

“Come on, Trip. I'm not letting you order this all by yourself.”

The evening was a whirlwind of activity. More passing around of the baby, until he _did_ get fussy, because he was hungry, and he was tired. Leo sat with him in his arms, napping, while they talked, catching up on everything that was happening in each others' lives. Grant tried to clean up after their multiple boxes of pizza had been devoured, and had been scolded for it by Jemma and Skye, who proceeded to take care of the whole thing, navigating the house like they knew it well.

They'd gone through photos of Brody's first few weeks, and Grant had held and fed him while Leo showed off videos that they'd taken since they'd brought him home from the hospital.

Getting everyone to their sleeping arrangements had been easy. SHIELD agents were nothing if not efficient, particularly their team. By the time Leo and Grant dropped into bed, Brody sleeping in his bassinet in his crib a few feet away, their faces were sore from smiling.

It was a trend that had become common, ever since they'd brought their son home.

 

 

“Hey, buddy. Good morning. Oh, look at you, you're so good. Just laying there, playing with your own feet while your daddies slept.”

“Skye.” Grant grunted, feeling Leo shift against his chest, waking up now that _someone_ had invited herself into their room. The sun was up, barely piercing the gaps between their curtains, and Grant had been laying awake – with his eyes closed – enjoying the quiet. Leo was still asleep, or had been, curled on his side, Grant's hand loose in his, around his waist. He'd gotten up with Brody at a few points, and, after getting him changed and settled again, had manhandled Grant into cuddling him while he fell back asleep. It was an arrangement Grant was familiar with. “We're awake.”

“I wasn't.” Leo muttered, his voice thick and groggy. “Some creep woke me up with her baby voice.”

“Oh, come on.” Skye said, putting her hands on her hips. She was grinning, and shaking her head while they broke apart, stretching out their sleep-addled limbs. “I'm not being a creep.”

“He was fine, you know.” Grant said, sagging against the pillows. “I was listening to him. He was just being quiet, entertaining himself.”

There was no missing the defensive edge in Skye's voice when she answered. “I know that.”

“Just couldn't wait to steal my kid, hm?” Leo asked in a joking tone, sitting up. “That's cheeky.”

Grant snorted.

“I just wanted to take him downstairs and let you guys sleep.”

“Which is really sweet of you. It is.” Grant allowed, truly grateful for Skye's good intentions – not that he'd ever suspected otherwise. “But you were pretty daring, coming into our room in the morning like this.”

Leo nodded. “We could have been _naked_.”

It was Skye's turn to snort. “No offense, but you two have a one month old son. I highly doubt that.” She turned back around, reaching into the crib to take Brody out. “How about Auntie Skye takes you to get your diaper changed, buddy? Make you a bottle?”

“His diapers are--”

“I already know.” Skye said, triumphantly cutting Leo off. “We... might have been snooping. Everyone's up, by the way. Breakfast will be ready in a bit. We're taking care of everything, even the little munchkin.” She looked between the two of them, with their sleep-mussed hair and rumpled pajamas. “So if you two _did_ want to get naked, you've got time.”

“Oh, come on--”

“--Skye!”

“Your daddies are protesting too much.” Skye said, crossing the room to leave. Scout was waiting in the doorway, and it was probably Grant's imagination, but even he looked smug. “Seriously. No rush, you two. We've got this under control.”

The door closed behind her, and silence descended in their bedroom. It was weird, Grant would admit, not only not having the house to themselves, but to have people there who were going to take care of their son and breakfast and everything so that they could get a little rest. It was even weirder to have Skye up and around before Grant had been, but he supposed that her field agent training had instilled a love of early mornings.

“We could, you know.” Leo said, quietly, before his fingers drifted over Grant's chest. The look on his face was considering, but his eyes made it obvious how on board he was with Skye's suggestion.

“It has been a while.” Grant admitted, grinning while Leo's fingers drifted down to his waistband. Not wasting time.

“It's been _so long_.” Leo enunciated the last two words firmly, leaning over Grant. “Please?”

Grant groaned, and reached for Leo, feeling his resolve – that was a show, anyway – crumbling quickly. “Come here.”

Forty five minutes later, showered, dressed, and thoroughly relaxed, they joined the others in the kitchen, to the tune of Trip's low whistle, and Skye's announcement of 'the lovebirds join us!'

Leo immediately made for the mug of tea Jemma was offering him. “Yes, we did what married couples sometimes do. _Shocking_.”

“What he means is 'thank you',” Jemma filled in helpfully. “And Grant can't quite get to that but we know you mean it, too.”

“I can't believe we've reached the point in our lives where we're thanking each other for making it possible for a good time to happen.” Trip said, laughing while he dished out crispy strips of bacon on to seven plates. They were joined by the toast Phil was finishing, placed next to the eggs Melinda had finished just before the bacon. Brody was nestled safe in Skye's arms, and Scout was laid down by the back door, watching everything with interest.

“It's a weird life we lead.” Jemma said, walking over to hand Grant a mug of black coffee. “Morning.”

“Morning.” He replied, grinning down at her. “Hey, guys, thanks for all this.”

“Yes.” Leo agreed, from where he'd joined Skye, saying good morning to Brody. “Thank you. I don't know what we did to deserve you all being so nice.”

“We're family.” Melinda said, simply, she, Trip and Phil bringing the plates over to the table. They'd brought the stools from the island over to make more seats, and all crowded around it now. Brody was put into his swing, and it rocked him gently while he dozed. “It's what we do.”

“What she said.” Phil added on, tactfully. “Now, let's dig in!”

An hour later, all of them were dressed and outside, Brody wearing a small hat while he was bundled against Leo's chest in the baby carrier, walking through the big park near their neighbourhood, enjoying the holiday weekend weather. Again, for a group of current and former SHIELD agents, it was unheard of, but somehow they all fell into it easily.

“So.” Phil asked, hanging at the back of their group with Grant. “How are you two settling in to everything?”

Grant looked over at him, and shrugged. “Good, I think. Do we seem like we aren't?”

“Quite the opposite.” Phil said. “You two really seem like this is working out well for you. I couldn't be happier. You know, I was... upset, when you both retired, but I understood. After everything you've both been through, after what happened to Leo with Masque, after the bridge incident, after everything... You deserve this. I just want to make sure you really _are_ as settled as you seem. I know you're good at putting on masks.”

Grant nodded, shaking off the wave of anger that had come over him at the memory of what had happened to Leo at Madame Masque's hands. Leo still carried, and always would carry, the scars of the burns she had inflicted on him, all to get the attention of bigger players. “I might be, but Leo isn't, and I'm not in that practice, anymore.”

“Which is a good thing.” Phil allowed. “You're a father, though. You'll have to learn new ones.”

Grant smiled. “The 'I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed' mask?”

Phil nodded sagely. “That's the one. I'm glad to hear you're doing as good as you seem, though. You both deserve it.”

“Thank you, sir.” Grant said, and cringed at the name he'd used out of habit. “Phil.”

Phil laughed. “Not a problem.”

“It's different.” Grant continued, opening up. With Phil, he could say this. Though the man had no children of his own, he made Grant feel like this would be the time to share. “It's not _hard_ , exactly. Not in a bad way. There are hard things. Things that are hard in ways SHIELD wasn't.” He glanced at Phil, who nodded, encouragement for him to continue. “He wakes us up at night and sometimes we don't know what to do. Sometimes we don't even know what to do when it isn't night. Leo gets tired. I get tired. Up until this morning, we hadn't... You know. For weeks.”

Phil laughed. “That'll happen.”

Grant smiled. “Oh, I know.” His eyes on the group ahead of them, he couldn't look away from Leo and Brody, the two of them smiling, Leo saying something to Brody while he watched Leo, enthralled. “I can't even really complain about it. I feel happier than I've ever felt in my life.”

Phil's hand reached up, squeezing his shoulder. “I can tell. You're glowing, both of you.” He gave Grant a bright smile. “Fatherhood suits you.”

 


End file.
